The exercise is part of the department’s ongoing efforts to train, as well as test and evaluate, the university’s ability to respond to an active shooter incident. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Police Department will hold an active shooter training exercise Wednesday, July 12. The exercise is part of UABPD’s ongoing efforts to train, as well as test and evaluate, the university’s ability to respond to an active shooter incident.
The training exercise will take place from approximately 1-4 p.m. in the unoccupied Jefferson County Project Access Building located at 1801 9th Avenue South. Signage will be present indicating a training exercise is taking place, and the public is asked to avoid the area.
“It’s important to our community that we validate operational coordination, on-scene security and protection, and decision-making,” said Daryl Green, Ph.D., associate vice president of Public Safety and chief of UAB Police. “Our officers train year-round through valuable tabletop exercises and other small-scale drills, and a full-scale training exercise like this is also critical in our efforts to be best prepared. The ability to demonstrate appropriate responses to an active threat without delay across the university is important for the continued safety of our community.”
UAB compares favorably in safety statistics to urban and traditional college campuses across the state and beyond, due in large part to secure facilities, implementing the latest technology available, and the presence of a nationally accredited police force supported with analysis, training and communications.
However, as Green points out, continued safety is no accident. It requires unprecedented preparedness and vigilance on everyone’s part.
“Throughout the nation, campus security is top of mind because we frequently hear about evolving threats to it,” Green said. “We train regularly with university, UAB Health System and community partners to prepare for emergency scenarios, and we operate with an eye for safety. We have 120 accredited police officers along with 50 security officers who monitor the campus in marked and unmarked patrol vehicles. We have more than 6,400 security cameras throughout buildings, in parking decks and in outdoor areas. We have free safety resources for our campus community so they can be empowered to contribute to campus safety for themselves and others. Our ongoing training enhances our ability to foster a safe and inclusive environment and be prepared should our community be threatened.”
Training Exercise Street Closures:
• Ninth Avenue and 19th Street South
• 10th Avenue and 18th Street South
• Ninth Avenue and 18th Street South
Organizations participating in the exercise include UAB administration, media relations and police; UAB Health System Information System Emergency Management; Birmingham Fire, EMS and Police; Veterans Administration Police; and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
UAB provides Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events active-shooter training and other resources to prepare students and employees to help prevent violence and protect themselves and the campus community. CRASE provides guidance and a plan for surviving an active-shooter event that employs a strategy of Avoid, Deny, Defend. Hundreds of students, faculty and staff participate in the free training each year.
Many proactive and reactive emergency resources are available to UAB faculty, staff, students and visitors:
B-Alert profiles ensure timely alerts
- UAB’s Emergency Management Team uses its B-Alert emergency-notification system to communicate any threat to campus through voice calls, SMS text messages and emails. Employees and students can make sure their contact information is up to date at edu/balert.
GPS-enabled virtual escort and panic button app connected to UAB Police
- The personal security app RAVE Guardian offers a virtual safety escort and has an emergency feature that turns your smartphone into a personal panic button that calls 911 or UAB Police, depending on your proximity to campus, and can share your location with UABPD. The app and service are free to everyone with a uab.edu address; download it now.
Call from a Help Phone
- More than 490 Help Phones are located throughout the UAB enterprise; they are a direct link to the UAB Police Department and are monitored 24 hours a day.
Share concerns about possible threats to prevent violence
- One of UAB’s best defenses is the timely observation of a student or employee. Call 911 to report an imminent threat to safety. Situations and behaviors of concern that are clearly not emergencies can be reported to UAB’s Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management team or reported through the Rave Guardian app.
Learn more about and access these and other safety resources at uab.edu/safety.